A World to Explore

DUBLIN, IRELAND — I have paleontological legends on either side of me, and the best of friends. Paul Taylor is on the left. He and I met in 1985 when I visited The Natural History Museum in London while on my first research leave. My Oxford host, Stuart McKerrow, said I just had to meet a young paleontologist at the museum because we had so many common interests. Indeed. Paul and I have had many adventures since through our long friendship. Also while at Oxford, Jim Kennedy told me that if I was interested in hard-substrate fossils I should take the train to Aberystwyth, Wales, and see Tim Palmer (above on the right). I did and have enjoyed a long and deep friendship and collaboration with him ever since. I think the world of these gentlemen and am grateful for all that they’ve taught me and the many research opportunities I’ve had with them. We had a very special dinner of traditional Irish stews this evening in Ireland’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head (established in 1198 — and I didn’t reverse any digits).

The Annual Meeting of the Palaeontological Association has now ended. Tomorrow morning I leave Dublin for a brief visit to County Donegal in the far northwest of Ireland. I hope to make a blog post or two from there, but I’m not sure I’ll have an internet connection. If not, the next posts will come from home in about a week. Slán agaibh!